MLB Player News

Sale yielded four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight over five innings Friday in a no-decision against the Blue Jays.

Sale surrendered one earned run in the first, followed by two more in the third prior to exiting with a 4-1 deficit. The Red Sox would rally, however, taking Sale off the hook for the loss. The 30-year-old southpaw didn't have his best stuff Friday night, but he does sit with a 3.59 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 138:23 K:BB over 95.1 innings this season.

Boyd allowed five runs over six innings and did not factor into the decision in Friday's loss to Cleveland. He gave up seven hits and two walks, while striking out six.

Boyd allowed a two-run home run to Carlos Santana in the first inning, but then held Cleveland off the board in the next three innings. However, he ran into trouble in the fifth and sixth, allowing two more home runs and a total of three runs in the two frames. Boyd has now allowed 10 runs (nine earned) over his last two outings, and his ERA has crept up to 3.61, though the lefty still has a stellar 118:19 K:BB through 94.2 innings. He'll look to get back on track in his next scheduled start Wednesday against the Rangers.

Paxton (5-3) earned the win after allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out seven over five innings Friday night against the Astros.

Paxton turned in a stellar showing, with his lone run allowed coming in the fourth inning on an RBI double to right field. He fired 60 of 100 pitches for strikes on the night, inducing five groundouts compared to three flyouts. The 30-year-old lefty has looked sharp in each of his last two outings, holding the opposition to two or fewer runs while punching out 14 over that stretch.

Suarez was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Suarez didn't fare well in Thursday night's start against Toronto, and with Trevor Cahill (elbow) expected to return shortly, Suarez will head back to Triple-A. Luke Bard and Jake Jewell were recalled from Salt Lake in corresponding moves.

German (hip) is expected to rejoin the starting rotation prior to the All-Star break, which begins July 7, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

German resumed throwing earlier this week after receiving a cortisone injection as he continues his recovery from a left hip strain. According to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, the 26-year-old completed a bullpen session Friday and has another one scheduled for Monday before potentially making a minor-league rehab start.

Civale is expected to be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start Saturday against the Tigers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Civale will step into the starting rotation for Mike Clevinger, who landed on the 10-day injured list Friday with an ankle sprain. It's likely to be a spot start for the 24-year-old since the Indians won't require a fifth starter again until after the All-Star break. Civale has a 2.85 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 40:10 K:BB over seven starts between Columbus and Double-A Akron this season.

Montas was handed an 80-game suspension Friday after testing positive for PEDs, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

This is a huge blow for the Athletics, as Montas has undeniably been their top starter so far this year. He's posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with a 97:21 K:BB across 90 innings, but he won't be eligible to return until the last week of the regular season in September -- and given how long it'll be since he pitched at that point, Montas likely won't be seen on a mound again until 2020.

Clevinger (ankle) was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 18, with a left ankle sprain.

Clevinger suffered the ankle sprain in Monday's start against the Rangers, which was his first start after missing two months with a back injury. The 28-year-old has no set timeline for his return but will miss at least one turn through the rotation. According to Zack Meisel of The Athletic, Aaron Civale is slated to be called up to start for the Indians on Saturday.

Montas recorded nine strikeouts and allowed just one earned run on four hits across eight innings against the Rays on Thursday, but he did not factor into the decision.

The right-hander undeniably deserved his 10th win of the season going by his numbers, but the Athletics weren't able to break through for a memorable comeback win until the bottom of the ninth inning. Montas nevertheless continued to delight fantasy owners with another dominant performance, one in which he notched a whopping 17 swinging strikes over his efficient 93 pitches. The 26-year-old has truly hit his stride over his four June starts, not allowing more than two earned runs in any of them while recording at least nine strikeouts in three consecutive outings. Thursday's no-decision snapped a three-start winning streak for Montas, but he still hasn't been hit with a loss since April 29, a span of nine trips to the mound. He'll look to get back on the victory train against the Cardinals either next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Morton didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's loss to the Athletics and allowed an earned run on four hits and two walks across 6.1 innings. He struck out six.

Morton turned in another trademark effort, but he received precious little run support from the Tampa offense while he was in the game. The veteran right-hander continued to flash his ability to consistently miss bats, notching 14 swinging strikes overall over his 105 pitches. Morton has now gone two straight outings without a victory following a four-appearance winning streak, as he'd suffered his first loss of the season against the Angels his previous time out. He'll look to get back on the right track in a scheduled road turn against the Twins next Tuesday or Wednesday.